Gate



w. PoPE.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I, 9l9.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

vw. POPE.

GATE.

0. 2. 92 1T 0,m 2. 34 Lw 6 nur. 6 Mm 2 2 d3, 4 D J/ 0 m P j @7 M a m n 5 m e m \l Of \2 5 3, hl, 45 /ih 3 3, 1/1 1 f J4 J3 Y A .17 15,14 J3 J7 l/H/ Zo' William 1D0/Ue Atti/3 W. POPE.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1, 1919 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

[zu faltar Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

WILLIAM POPE, OF ROCKVALE, TENNESSEE.

GATE.

Application filed March 1, 1919.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, WILLIAM Porn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockvale, in the county of Rutherford and State of Tennessee7 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gates, of

which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a gate which will be normally held in closed position'and which may be opened by a pedestrian,A or by the occupants of a vehicle without dismounting from the vehicle. The invention seeks to provide a gate of the stated character which will be automatically closed after a pedestrian or vehicle has passed through the gateway and also to pro vide a construction in which the operating mechanism will be protected from the weather so that it will bealways in operative condition. A furtherobject ofthe invention is to provide means whereby the gate will be held to a rectilinear path and also to provide means whereby snow,r ice and sleet will be prevented `from accumulating upon the top rail of the gate so as to render the operation thereof difficult. These stated objects and other objects which will incidentally appear in the course of the following description are attained in mecha-y nism such as is illustrated in the accompany# ing drawings and the invention resides in certain novel features which will be par-l ticularly pointed out in the claims following the description.

ln the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a gate embodying my present improvements, the gate being shown in its closed position and parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation showing the gate in the opened position;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4f is a perspective view of the upper corner of the gate showing the gate in its opened position;

Fig; 5 is a detail transverse section on the line-Fi of Fig. .2;

Fig. 6 is a detail ino' the gate opened and also showing the mans provided for holding the gate in its 'openedfposition Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the connections between the gate and the runways provided to receive the wheels of a passing vehicle;

Specification of Letters Patent.

sectional elevation show-- Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

Serial No. 280,069.

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective View of the outer end of a runway;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the fence post which receives and holds against lateral movement the free endof the gate.

The gate comprises posts 1 and rails 2 sccured to and extending horizontally between the posts, the posts being equipped at their lower ends with rollers 3 to travel on a rail Ll which isprovided on the upper side of a sill 5 which is embedded in the roadway in the line of the fence. A brace 6 is also provided and secured to the end posts 1 and the rails 9, of the gate so as to attain the desired rigidity in the structure. At one side of the roadway, I provide a vfence post 7 to which the fence rails 8 are secured in the usual manner and in that side of the fence post facing the road, I form a vertical recess 9 which is adapted to receive the free end of the gate and thereby support the same against lateral movement when it is closed and also resist strains or blows exerted upon the gate by stock or from other causes. 'lf he of thf` recess S) so that the gate may freely enter the recess and positively engage the same. At the opposite side of the roadway, l provide a casing or housing l0 which eX- tends substantially in the line of the fence and the bottom or floor of which may be a continuation of the sill 5 if preferred. l The track rail 4 enters the housing and extends to the closed end of the same so that the gate will be held to a rectilinear path in all its movements and may enter the casing so as to be completely housed thereby and leave the entire roadway clear for the passage of a vehicle. The top of the housing is constructed to provide upper and lower longitudinal grooves or guides and to close the housing so 'that while the gate will be held to a rectilinear path, snow and rain or other elements cannot obtainlaccess to the housing so as to prevent theoperation of the actuating mechanism. In Fig. 5, the top of the housing is shown as consisting of a beam 11 extending longitudinally ofthe housing and provided in its under side with a longitudinal central groove 12. to receive thetop rail 2 of the gate, and side bars 13 secured ltrack rail 1 terminates within the lower end to the side walls of thev housing and having the top of the gate. This constijuction is also shown in Fig. 4s and is a convenient method of constructing the top ot the housing, but it is to be understood that the menr bers 11 and 13 may be integral or may be otherwise formed. is shown most clearly in Fig. 7, the cap plate 16 is widened, as sh-own at 17, at the inner end oit the gate so that the widened portion of the cap plate will extend overlthe full width of the housing and is provided wit-h depending i'ianges 18 along the side edges of said widened porH tion which engage the side walls ot the housingand so thoroughly protect the housing against the elements. The cap plate is obviously spaced above the top rail of the gate and to support the forward or tree end thereot, a bracket 19 is ste-aired to the outer end and the and otthe rib i, as shown c in g lin the normal closed position of the gate, the widened portion 17 ot the cap will cover the housing while the narrower portion thereof will extend over the gate to the tence post and its il'ree end will Vcover the upper end ot the recess 9 Vin said post. The entrance. ol snow, rain or sleet to all the parts will thus be prevented, so that in all weather the gate will be in an operative condition.

To hold the gate normally closed and to automatically return it to closed position. after it has been opened, I provide mechanism within the housing which will exert a constant closing 'force upon the gate but which will yield readily to an opening movement when the gate is pushed within the housing.V This mechanism consists of a lazy tongs 20, the foremost or outermost link 21 ot which is pivoted at its 'tree end to the inner or rear post 1 o'lE the gate and the innermost or rearniost link 22 oil? which is pivoted to the inner or rear wall of the housing, as shown at 28, and it may be here noted that throughout this ,lescription the terms inner7 and outer or forward and crearward are relative only and are employed ter convenience in reterringto the parts, the ,e end ot tl'ie gate or that end which engages the tence post in the closed position being consideredV the outer or forward end and the terms being used with the same i'neaning when applied to other parts. Nithin the housing, adjacent the torward or outer end thereof, I provide the posts or standards 24- to or in which are :tulcrumed the levers 25, the inner or rear ends of the levers being equipped with weights 26 which should be suliiciently heavy to hold the inner ends of the levers normally down, as shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 3, a post 24. is provided at each side of the housing and a lever 25 is fulcrumed in each post. The forward or lreeends of the levers project Vthrough the forward end ot the housing and play in vertical slots 27 therein,y suspension hooks 28 being hung in the free ends ot the levers, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 7. These suspension hooks are adapted to be engaged by links 29 at the ends ot treadles 30 mounted in runways 31 disposed upon the ground at the opposite sides of the gate and extending longitudinallj7 of the road as will be readily understood. These treadles are supported at their outer ends upon the licor oit the runway by a pivotal connection 32 andtheir inner ends are supported normally in an eleva-ted position by the hooks 28 and links 29. Guide ribs 33 are provided on the upper sides of the treadles so that the wheels ot' a vehicle driven into the runway will be held to a path extending longitudinally ot the runway but at a sullicient distance 'from one edge of the runway to prevent the hubs of the vehielerwheels striking against any projecting part of the end of the gate or the housing and thereby damaging either the vehicle er the gate. Hangers 34 are pivoted at their upper ends to the pivotal connection between the end of the link 22 and the adjacent link of the lazy tongs and the lower ends ot said hangers are pivoted,'as shown at 85, to the immediately adjacent lever 25. It will be readily understood that when a vehicle lis driven into a runway, the ltreadle 30 therein will be depressed by the weight of the vehicle and the load carried by it so that the inner weighted end of the lever connected with said treadle will be swung upwardly and, consequently, the lazy tongs will be V.retracted or folded, as shown in Fig. :2, and the gate opened or drawn inwardly. The runway should be of such length that as or before the front wheel of the vehicle leaves the same the back wheel will enter it so that the treadle will be held depressed until the vehicle has passed through the gate and to further serve this object the adjacent ends of the runways will be spaced apart onlyenough to permit the gate to pass between them so that when the vehicle wheel leaves one runway it will immediately enter the other and, consequently, the operating levers 25 will be held in the position shown in. Fig. 2 until the vehicle has entirely passed through the gateway and the rear wheels thereof have cleared both run-V ways. As soon as the vehicle is entirely clear of the runways the weights 26 will dcscend and will thereby exert an opening or extending force upon the lazy tongs so that it will resume the position shown in Fig. 1 and project the gate across the roadway to `its closed position.

A pedestrian desiring to pass through the gateway will merely press upon the treadle with one foot and then step through. the gateway, the lazy tongs acting automatically to return the gate to closed position so that Vthe hands of the pedestrian are tree to carry bundles. Should a horseback rider desire to pass through the gateway he will exert suflicient manual pushing force upon the gate to open the same and to facilitate the opening of the gate by the horseman a knob 36 is provided on the cap plate 16 near the outer or forward end thereof, as shownv in Figs. l and 2.

Should it be desired for any reason to hold the gate open for a considerable period it is pushed bach to the limit of its movement, as shown in Fig. 2, and a hook 37, secured upon the housing at one side of the passage therein for the gate, is engaged in a hasp orleye provided on the end wall of the housing at the opposite side of the passage' for the gate so as to extend across the end of the gate, as shown in F 1g. 6. This provision will be found advantageous when 1t 1s desired to drive stock through the gateway or farms and in which the operating mechanism will be thoroughly protected from the weather. The gate will be held normally closed but may be easily opened and after t-he opening force is released the gate will automatically close. The construction and arrangement of the parts is simple so that the cost of installing the gate will be low and the cost of maintenance will be negligible. The gate may be installed on a lawn or across a footpath in which event, the runways may be omitted and the treadles may .rest on the ground or on a block sunk therein.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. The combination of a gate mounted to i'uove in a rectilinear path, posts disposed at the opposite sides of the said path and adjacent the sides of the passage closed by the gate, a lazy tongs connected at one end to the end of the gate and at its opposite end to a fixed support and disposed between the said posts, levers fulcrumed intermediate their ends upon the said posts 'and disposed longitudinally of and immediately adjacent the lazy tongs, treadles disposed at opposite sides of the -gate with their higher ends immediately adjacent the gate, links connecting the higher ends of the treadles with the ends of the levers respectively above the treadles, hangers connecting the opposite ends of the levers with that member of the lazy tongs which is pivoted to the fixed support, and means on the last-mentioned ends of the levers for overbalancing the treadles.

2. In a gate, the combination of a housing, a gate mounted for movement into and out of said housing, means within the housing to hold the gate normally projected therefrom, a cap plate extending over the housing and connected at its free end to the free end of the gate, and means on the housing and the cap plate for guiding the same.

3. The combination of a housing having a longitudinal groove in its top, a gate having its top rail arranged to engage slidably in said groove, and means within the housing acting on the gate to hold the gate normally closed.

t. The combination of a housing having longitudinal grooves in the upper and lower sides of its top, a gate having its top rail arranged to slidably engage the lower of said grooves, means within the housing for holding the gate normally closed, a cap plate extending over the housing and having its` free end connected with the free end of the gate whereby the cap plate will move with the gate, and a rib on the under side of said cap plate engaging the upper groove in the top of the housing.

5. Thecombination of a housing, a gate movable into and out of the housing, means within the housing acting on the gate to hold it normally out of the same, a longitudinal groove in the upper side of the housing, a cap plate fitting over the housing and having its free end connected with the free end of the gate, a rib on the under side of the cap plate engaging the groove` in the housing and depending flanges at the side edges of the cap plate engaging the sides of the housing.

In testimony whereof l affix my signature.

W'ILLlAM POPE. [1.. s l 

